It is hard to say which Pinellas Country beach is my favorite to photograph at, it may just come down to where I have been the luckiest with sunsets and random things, like when at Pass-A-Grille Beach a great blue heron walks into the frame while trying to photograph a bride. Such was the case in the above photograph with Rosa, the latest entry in my Bride Series.
However, the great blue heron did linger a bit too long and I finally had to shoo it along its way in order to get a clean background. I am not even sure Rosa was aware of the large bird behind. I had no trouble at all getting Rosa to show real emotion for these portraits. I am always grateful for that!
Besides having a very beautiful dress, and being unafraid of getting it sandy, Rosa wore a fabulous veil that as soon as I saw it as she arrived at the beach I knew would later make for some great bride portraits. I had to carefully position my two strobes in order to light the veil and her face while trying to keep shadows to a minimum, all before Rosa's arms got too tired. I have subsequently used the above image on the wedding version of my business cards.
When everything comes together: weather, sunset, bride's emotion, dress, props (veil) it makes photography a real pleasure for both the photographer and the bride knowing that the results are going to be so satisfying.